Papal ban of Freemasonry
Encyclopedia
The leadership of the Roman Catholic Church
has long been an outspoken critic of Freemasonry
, first prohibiting Catholics from joining the fraternity in 1738. Since then, the Vatican
has made several pronouncements forbidding Catholics from becoming Freemasons under threat of excommunication
. Although there was some confusion of the issue following Vatican Council II, the Church still prohibits membership in the Freemasons because it believes that the principles of Freemasonry and the teaching of the Catholic Church are irreconcilable. A 1983 statement from the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith approved by Pope John Paul II stated "The faithful who enroll in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion." and "... membership in them (Masonic associations) remains forbidden."
investigated a Masonic Lodge in Florence
, Italy
, which it condemned in June 1737. The Lodge had originally been founded in 1733 by the English
Freemason Charles Sackville
, but accepted Italian
members, such as the lodge's secretary Tommaso Crudeli
. This investigation led, in 1738, to Pope Clement XII
, himself Florentine, issuing In Eminenti Apostolatus, the first papal prohibition on Freemasonry. The reasons for the prohibition were stated as:
, Pius VII (1821)
, Leo XII (1826), Pius VIII (1829)
, Gregory XVI (1832)
, Pius IX (1846, 1849, 1864, 1865, 1869, 1873), and notably Pope Leo XIII
in the encyclical
Humanum Genus
(1884). The 1917 Code of Canon Law
explicitly declared that joining Freemasonry entailed automatic excommunication. The 1917 Code of Canon Law also forbade books promoting Freemasonry.
questions began to arise at to whether the Church was easing its stance towards Masonry. In 1974 Cardinal Seper
, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
, sent a private letter to some Episcopal Conferences that stated, in part,
This advice led some Catholics to believe (mistakenly, according to subsequent clarifications) that the prohibition was no longer in force, and that the Church no longer had objections to Freemasonry.
Among the allegations were that Freemasonry denies revelation and objective truth. They also alleged that religious indifference is fundamental to Freemasonry, that Freemasonry is Deist, and that it denies the possibility of divine revelation, so threatening the respect due to the Church's teaching office. The sacrament
al character of Masonic rituals was seen as signifying an individual transformation, offering an alternative path to perfection and having a total claim on the life of a member It concludes by stating that all lodges are forbidden to Catholics, including Catholic-friendly lodges and that German Protestant churches were also suspicious of Freemasonry.
, entitled Clarification concerning status of Catholics becoming Freemasons
which said the private letter of 1974, on becoming public, had "given rise to erroneous and tendentious interpretations." The Clarification also affirmed that the prohibition against Catholics joining Masonic orders remained in effect.
This omission caused some Catholics and Freemasons, especially in America, to believe that the ban on Catholics becoming Freemasons may have been lifted after all, and caused confusion in the Church hierarchy. Many Catholics joined the fraternity, basing their membership on a permissive interpretation of Canon Law and justifying their membership by their belief that Freemasonry does not plot against the Church.
that "the principles and basic rituals of Masonry embody a naturalistic religion, active participation in which is incompatible with Christian faith and practice."
On September 15, 2000, the Reverend Thomas Anslow, Judicial Vicar of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles
, wrote a letter to David Patterson, Executive Secretary of the Masonic Service Bureau of Los Angeles
. In reply to the question "whether a practicing Catholic may join a Masonic Lodge" Father Anslow said that "at least for Catholics in the United States, I believe the answer is probably yes". This letter was publicly retracted by Father Anslow on February 12, 2002, with the explanation that his analysis was faulty. He said that Freemasonry fostered a "supraconfessional humanitarian" conception of the divine "that neutralizes or replaces the faith dimension of our relationship with God."
On March 1, 2007, Archbishop Gianfranco Girotti
, the regent
of the Apostolic Penitentiary
made a statement that membership in Masonic organisations "remains forbidden" to Catholics and called on priests who had declared themselves to be Freemasons to be disciplined by their direct superiors. It was in reaction to the declaration that the 85 year old priest Rosario Francesco Esposito had declared himself a Freemason even though he was once commissioned by the Church to study the Church’s teaching on masonry.
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
has long been an outspoken critic of Freemasonry
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
, first prohibiting Catholics from joining the fraternity in 1738. Since then, the Vatican
Holy See
The Holy See is the episcopal jurisdiction of the Catholic Church in Rome, in which its Bishop is commonly known as the Pope. It is the preeminent episcopal see of the Catholic Church, forming the central government of the Church. As such, diplomatically, and in other spheres the Holy See acts and...
has made several pronouncements forbidding Catholics from becoming Freemasons under threat of excommunication
Excommunication
Excommunication is a religious censure used to deprive, suspend or limit membership in a religious community. The word means putting [someone] out of communion. In some religions, excommunication includes spiritual condemnation of the member or group...
. Although there was some confusion of the issue following Vatican Council II, the Church still prohibits membership in the Freemasons because it believes that the principles of Freemasonry and the teaching of the Catholic Church are irreconcilable. A 1983 statement from the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith approved by Pope John Paul II stated "The faithful who enroll in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion." and "... membership in them (Masonic associations) remains forbidden."
Original prohibition
In 1736, the InquisitionInquisition
The Inquisition, Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis , was the "fight against heretics" by several institutions within the justice-system of the Roman Catholic Church. It started in the 12th century, with the introduction of torture in the persecution of heresy...
investigated a Masonic Lodge in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, which it condemned in June 1737. The Lodge had originally been founded in 1733 by the English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
Freemason Charles Sackville
Charles Sackville, 2nd Duke of Dorset
Charles Sackville, 2nd Duke of Dorset PC was a British nobleman, politician, and cricketer. He was styled Lord Buckhurst from 1711 to 1720 and Earl of Middlesex from 1720 to 1765.-Early life:...
, but accepted Italian
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
members, such as the lodge's secretary Tommaso Crudeli
Tommaso Crudeli
Tommaso Baldasarre Crudeli was a Florentine free thinker who was imprisoned by the Roman Inquisition. Because of his membership of a Masonic lodge, he is often celebrated as a martyr for Freemasonry even though he died four years after his imprisonment.-Chronology:* 1702-12-21 Born at Poppi *...
. This investigation led, in 1738, to Pope Clement XII
Pope Clement XII
Pope Clement XII , born Lorenzo Corsini, was Pope from 12 July 1730 to 6 February 1740.Born in Florence, the son of Bartolomeo Corsini, Marquis of Casigliano and his wife Isabella Strozzi, sister of the Duke of Bagnuolo, Corsini had been an aristocratic lawyer and financial manager under preceding...
, himself Florentine, issuing In Eminenti Apostolatus, the first papal prohibition on Freemasonry. The reasons for the prohibition were stated as:
Now it has come to Our ears, and common gossip has made clear, that certain Societies, Companies, Assemblies, Meetings, Congregations or Conventicles called in the popular tongue Liberi Muratori or Francs Massons or by other names according to the various languages, are spreading far and wide and daily growing in strength; and men of any Religion or sect, satisfied with the appearance of natural probity, are joined together, according to their laws and the statutes laid down for them, by a strict and unbreakable bond which obliges them, both by an oath upon the Holy Bible and by a host of grievous punishment, to an inviolable silence about all that they do in secret together. But it is in the nature of crime to betray itself and to show itself by its attendant clamor. Thus these aforesaid Societies or Conventicles have caused in the minds of the faithful the greatest suspicion, and all prudent and upright men have passed the same judgment on them as being depraved and perverted. For if they were not doing evil they would not have so great a hatred of the light. Indeed, this rumor has grown to such proportions that in several countries these societies have been forbidden by the civil authorities as being against the public security, and for some time past have appeared to be prudently eliminated.
Reiteration of ban on membership
The ban of In Eminenti was reiterated and expanded upon by Benedict XIV (1751)Providas Romanorum
Providas Romanorum was a Apostolic constitution promulgated by Pope Benedict XIV on May 18, 1751. The constitution condemned Freemasonry on the grounds of its naturalism, demand for oaths, secrecy, religious indifferentism, and possible threat to the church and state. It confirmed the previous...
, Pius VII (1821)
Ecclesiam a Jesu Christo
Ecclesiam a Jesu Christo was a Papal constitution promulgated by Pius VII in 1821.It stated that Freemasons must be excommunicated for their oath bound secrecy of the society and conspiracies against church and state....
, Leo XII (1826), Pius VIII (1829)
Traditi Humilitati
Traditi Humilitati is a Papal Encyclical issued by Pope Pius VIII in 1829. It laid out the program for his pontificate. Although not mentioning freemasonry, it has been cited by later anti-Masonic publications of the Catholic Church because it condemned those "who think that the portal of eternal...
, Gregory XVI (1832)
Mirari Vos
Mirari Vos - On Liberalism and Religious Indifferentism is the first encyclical of Pope Gregory XVI and was issued in 1832. Addressed "To All Patriarchs, Primates, Archbishops, and Bishops of the Catholic World", it is general in scope....
, Pius IX (1846, 1849, 1864, 1865, 1869, 1873), and notably Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII
Pope Leo XIII , born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci to an Italian comital family, was the 256th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, reigning from 1878 to 1903...
in the encyclical
Encyclical
An encyclical was originally a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area in the ancient Catholic Church. At that time, the word could be used for a letter sent out by any bishop...
Humanum Genus
Humanum Genus
Humanum Genus was a papal encyclical promulgated on April 20, 1884, by Pope Leo XIII. Coming in the ascent of the industrial age and Marxism, it posited that the late 19th Century was a dangerous era for Christians, and condemned Freemasonry as well as a number of beliefs and practices allegedly...
(1884). The 1917 Code of Canon Law
Canon law (Catholic Church)
The canon law of the Catholic Church, is a fully developed legal system, with all the necessary elements: courts, lawyers, judges, a fully articulated legal code and principles of legal interpretation. It lacks the necessary binding force present in most modern day legal systems. The academic...
explicitly declared that joining Freemasonry entailed automatic excommunication. The 1917 Code of Canon Law also forbade books promoting Freemasonry.
Post-Vatican II confusion
Following the Second Vatican CouncilSecond Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
questions began to arise at to whether the Church was easing its stance towards Masonry. In 1974 Cardinal Seper
Franjo Šeper
Franjo Šeper was a Croatian Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith from 1968 to 1981, and was elevated to the cardinalate in 1965....
, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , previously known as the Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition , and after 1904 called the Supreme...
, sent a private letter to some Episcopal Conferences that stated, in part,
"The Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith... has ruled that Canon 2335 no longer automatically bars a Catholic from membership of masonic groups... And so, a Catholic who joins the Freemasons is excommunicated only if the policies and actions of the Freemasons in his area are known to be hostile to the Church ..."
This advice led some Catholics to believe (mistakenly, according to subsequent clarifications) that the prohibition was no longer in force, and that the Church no longer had objections to Freemasonry.
German Bishops Conference
In 1980, after years of study, including dialogue with Freemasons, the German Bishops Conference addressed this question, producing a report on Freemasonry listing twelve points and allegations.Among the allegations were that Freemasonry denies revelation and objective truth. They also alleged that religious indifference is fundamental to Freemasonry, that Freemasonry is Deist, and that it denies the possibility of divine revelation, so threatening the respect due to the Church's teaching office. The sacrament
Sacrament
A sacrament is a sacred rite recognized as of particular importance and significance. There are various views on the existence and meaning of such rites.-General definitions and terms:...
al character of Masonic rituals was seen as signifying an individual transformation, offering an alternative path to perfection and having a total claim on the life of a member It concludes by stating that all lodges are forbidden to Catholics, including Catholic-friendly lodges and that German Protestant churches were also suspicious of Freemasonry.
Seper's Clarification
In February 1981, under Cardinal Seper, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a letter to the United States BishopsUnited States Conference of Catholic Bishops
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in the United States. Founded in 1966 as the joint National Conference of Catholic Bishops and United States Catholic Conference, it is composed of all active and retired members of the Catholic...
, entitled Clarification concerning status of Catholics becoming Freemasons
Clarification concerning status of Catholics becoming Freemasons
The Clarification concerning status of Catholics becoming Freemasons was a February 1981 letter from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith under Cardinal Seper reiterating the Church's prohibition on Catholics becoming Freemasons....
which said the private letter of 1974, on becoming public, had "given rise to erroneous and tendentious interpretations." The Clarification also affirmed that the prohibition against Catholics joining Masonic orders remained in effect.
Revised Code of Canon Law
In 1983 the Church revised the Code of Canon Law. Unlike its predecessor, however, Canon 1374 does not explicitly name Masonic orders among the secret societies it condemns. It states:
"A person who joins an association which plots against the Church is to be punished with a just penalty; one who promotes or takes office in such an association is to be punished with an interdictInterdict (Roman Catholic Church)In Roman Catholic canon law, an interdict is an ecclesiastical censure that excludes from certain rites of the Church individuals or groups, who nonetheless do not cease to be members of the Church.-Distinctions in canon law:...
."
This omission caused some Catholics and Freemasons, especially in America, to believe that the ban on Catholics becoming Freemasons may have been lifted after all, and caused confusion in the Church hierarchy. Many Catholics joined the fraternity, basing their membership on a permissive interpretation of Canon Law and justifying their membership by their belief that Freemasonry does not plot against the Church.
Declaration on Masonic Associations
In 1983, Prefect Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, with the personal approval of Pope John Paul II, issued a Declaration on Masonic Associations, which reiterated the Church's objections to Freemasonry. The Declaration states:
"The faithful who enroll in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion...."
and "...the Church’s negative judgment in regard to Masonic association(s) remains unchanged since their principles have always been considered irreconcilable with the doctrine of the Church and therefore membership in them remains forbidden."
Continued ban after the Declaration
In the 1985, the U.S. Catholic Conference Bishops' Committee on Pastoral Research and Practices concluded in its Letter to U.S. Bishops Concerning MasonryLetter to U.S. Bishops Concerning Masonry
The Letter to U.S. Bishops Concerning Masonry was a letter sent on April 19, 1985 by Bernard Francis Cardinal Law, Archbishop of Boston and chairman of the Committee on Pastoral Research and Practices of the United States Catholic Conference. The letter was intended to answer confusion about the...
that "the principles and basic rituals of Masonry embody a naturalistic religion, active participation in which is incompatible with Christian faith and practice."
On September 15, 2000, the Reverend Thomas Anslow, Judicial Vicar of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles is an archdiocese of the Roman Catholic Church in the U.S. state of California. Headquartered in Los Angeles, the archdiocese comprises the California counties of Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and Ventura. The diocesan cathedral is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the...
, wrote a letter to David Patterson, Executive Secretary of the Masonic Service Bureau of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. In reply to the question "whether a practicing Catholic may join a Masonic Lodge" Father Anslow said that "at least for Catholics in the United States, I believe the answer is probably yes". This letter was publicly retracted by Father Anslow on February 12, 2002, with the explanation that his analysis was faulty. He said that Freemasonry fostered a "supraconfessional humanitarian" conception of the divine "that neutralizes or replaces the faith dimension of our relationship with God."
On March 1, 2007, Archbishop Gianfranco Girotti
Gianfranco Girotti
Gianfranco Girotti, O.F.M. Conv. is Regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary since 16 February 2002. He had previously served as Under-Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith....
, the regent
Regent
A regent, from the Latin regens "one who reigns", is a person selected to act as head of state because the ruler is a minor, not present, or debilitated. Currently there are only two ruling Regencies in the world, sovereign Liechtenstein and the Malaysian constitutive state of Terengganu...
of the Apostolic Penitentiary
Apostolic Penitentiary
The Apostolic Penitentiary, formerly called the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Penitentiary, is one of the three tribunals of the Roman Curia. The Apostolic Penitentiary is chiefly a tribunal of mercy, responsible for issues relating to the forgiveness of sins in the Catholic Church.The...
made a statement that membership in Masonic organisations "remains forbidden" to Catholics and called on priests who had declared themselves to be Freemasons to be disciplined by their direct superiors. It was in reaction to the declaration that the 85 year old priest Rosario Francesco Esposito had declared himself a Freemason even though he was once commissioned by the Church to study the Church’s teaching on masonry.
See also
- Anticlericalism and FreemasonryAnticlericalism and FreemasonryThe question of whether Freemasonry is Anticlerical is the subject of debate. The Catholic Church has long been an outspoken critic of Freemasonry, and Catholic scholars have often accused the fraternity of anticlericalism. The Catholic Church forbids its members to join any masonic society under...
- Anti-MasonryAnti-MasonryAnti-Masonry is defined as "avowed opposition to Freemasonry". However, there is no homogeneous anti-Masonic movement...
- Christianity and FreemasonryChristianity and FreemasonryChristianity and Freemasonry have had a mixed relationship, with various Christian denominations strongly discouraging or even prohibiting members from becoming Freemasons while others are supportive of Freemasonry and have friendly relations with local Masonic lodges.-Ties to Christianity:While...
- Clarification concerning status of Catholics becoming FreemasonsClarification concerning status of Catholics becoming FreemasonsThe Clarification concerning status of Catholics becoming Freemasons was a February 1981 letter from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith under Cardinal Seper reiterating the Church's prohibition on Catholics becoming Freemasons....
- Declaration on Masonic Associations
- Letter of April 19, 1985 to U.S. Bishops Concerning Masonry
- Papal Documents relating to FreemasonryPapal Documents relating to Freemasonry-Before Pius IX:*Clement XII - In Eminenti Apostolatus - 1738*Benedict XIV - Providas Romanorum - 1751*Pius VII - Ecclesiam a Jesu Christo - 1821*Leo XII - Quo Graviora - 1826*Pius VIII - Traditi Humilitati - 1829...